Additional Food Intolerance Symptoms May Appear After Going On a Gluten Free Diet
This topic of other food intolerance symptoms is not a pleasant
one, but I feel it needs to be covered so that
you are aware of this possibility. While it doesn't happen
to everyone, it happens often enough that I believe you
should know what to do if it happens to you. Below you
will find instructions on keeping a food journal if you ever
do begin to have a reaction.
In the intestines, there is a substance called Zonulin. It
is a human protein that controls the permeability, or the
spaces between cells, in the gut. In celiac disease, it causes
these spaces to stay open, allowing proteins like gluten to
pass through into the bloodstream, where the immune system
attacks them with anti-bodies. (Not the IGE Allergy antibodies,
rather IGG or IGA antibodies usually). This then, is the
reason why celiacs tend to have leaky gut syndrome.
When proteins are allowed to pass into the bloodstream and
reach the immune system, it sets up a reaction. It often
causes the body's immune system to overreact to other food
proteins as well. This is why so many people with gluten
intolerance or sensitivity also react to the protein casein,
While I don't have hard numbers, it is well known that many
celiacs are also intolerant of yeast. It is common for soy and
egg proteins to cause food intolerance symptoms as well. Some
people also become intolerant of corn.
Some people react to other grains, but are fine with legumes,
yeast and eggs. For people with this situation, a Paleo Diet might be helpful.
I can only speak of my husband and my own experience in detail.
Both of us react to gluten and casein. After being gluten and
dairy free for about 5-6 weeks, and finally feeling much
better, I found a gluten free bread recipe that looked good.
I decided to make it. The bread came out great, and I was
thrilled. I, having had no bread in over a month, ate 3
slices, just plain.
Within a couple of hours I began having bloating and cramping in
the upper abdomen. The next time I made anything with yeast it
happened again. So I knew it was the yeast. My husband didn't
have any problem with the yeast as far as we know. It was a
gluten free brand of yeast. (Red Star). These food
intolerance symptoms lasted about 4 days.
So I had to start looking for ways to bake without yeast. I
did find some quick bread recipes, and for a few weeks I made
those instead. About 3 months after going gluten free, I began
to get a very itchy rash every time I ate anything with eggs,
which lasted 2-3 days. The first symptom I noticed was my ears
felt hot, then I began to itch. Benadryl helped some. No
cramps, no gastrointestinal symptoms, just hot ears and the
rash. So I avoided eggs for 2 weeks and then tried baking an
item with one egg in the recipe for a whole loaf. I still
We had been using Natural Balance margarine. It had some soy in
it. About 6 months after going gluten and dairy free...you
guessed it. This one induced gastrointestinal pain and the
There are very few options out there for margarine without soy
or dairy. The only one I've found is Fleischmann's Light in
the tub. It says it contains soy, but I spoke to the
company. It is produced on the same line, but no soy is
added. Just a chance of cross-contamination.
Note: Earth Balance has recently come out with a soy free
margarine and it's good!
My husband did not react to these things until later. He can
have eggs, but not every day. He starts to have food
intolerance symptoms if he has them often. He gets nauseous
and very tired, but no rash. He tolerates soy, and we don't
know about yeast, because I am the one who bakes, and I don't
use yeast anymore.
Gluten and probably casein will be life-long issues. Will I ever
be able to have eggs or soy or yeast again? I don't know.
Sometimes it's permanent. Sometimes, if the leaky gut heals,
they can be tolerated in small amounts. I may try in a couple
of years. The eggs would be the one I'd like to have back.
Baking is much easier with eggs.
Why didn't I react to them in the beginning, or even before
going gluten and dairy free? I think the immune system was so
overwhelmed by the reaction to the gluten and dairy, that these
other foods were not causing much reaction. Once the immune
system had no more gluten and dairy proteins to attack, it
began reacting to other, less harmful proteins. Anyway, that's
NOTE: If you have a known food allergy, do not use this
method. Intolerances or food sensitivities are different than
allergies. Intolerances do not induce anaphylactic reactions
that could be life threatening. If you experience any
difficulty breathing, or throat swelling, then it is an
emergency; seek medical help immediately!
How to Use a Food Journal
If you do begin to react to something once going gluten free, you
need to do some checking. First, make sure you are not
accidentally getting gluten somewhere, like a medication or
lipstick. (Or a pet).
If you are sure you have eliminated any potential for gluten in
the diet, then you can keep a food journal, and write down
everything you eat and drink for a few weeks. Note any food
intolerance symptoms after meals. They could be delayed by
hours or even days. Include mood changes and headaches, brain
fog, etc. This may help you narrow it down.
If you come up with two or more things it could be, stop using
all of them for at least a couple of weeks. Then bring them
back one at a time, about a week apart. Eat small amounts at
first, increasing daily unless you get symptoms. This will
help you figure out which one is causing your food intolerance
Once you figure it out, if you need help adjusting a recipe,
let me know. I've probably already got a workaround.(You can
use the contact form on this website).
Enterolab also has a test that checks for antibodies to yeast,
soy and egg.
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